Little Green Rascals Bishopthorpe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make excellent progress across every area of their learning. Staff are highly skilled at supporting and challenging them to try and reach their full potential. Staff demonstrate exemplary practice consistently in every room at the nursery and are excellent role models for children. Children show levels of engagement, concentration and enthusiasm in their learning, which go far beyond the typical expectation for their age. For example, babies sit with staff in a small group and explore different sounds they can make as they pull items from the box. Older children use their extensive vocabulary to hold discussions with staff in a group. They talk about people who can help us and confidently describe what to do in an emergency.

Staff ensure children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning and prioritise their emotional well-being. This begins before they start at nursery, as staff use home visits to help them get to know children and their families in their own environment. Children show they feel safe and secure in the nursery and benefit from the tailored care staff provide. The staff team provides an excellent curriculum for children, which helps to build on their existing skills and broaden their experiences. Children benefit from learning through real-life experiences as they regularly visit new places in the community. For instance, toddlers visit the garden centre to buy seeds as staff teach them about life cycles and growth.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Children thrive in the nursery and develop excellent communication and language skills. Staff consistently use Makaton sign across the nursery and share signs with families. They model clear words to young children and use language strategies such as 'fab vocab' with older children. For example, children talk about the tricky words of the week, and staff help them to use them in context in sentences. Staff help all children to develop a love of books and tell stories in exciting ways with props and imaginative play.
• Staff help children to feel valued and heard through the use of the school council, where children reflect on the nursery environment and suggest how they would like to prepare it. Children have high levels of self-confidence, and staff help them to develop excellent personal, social and emotional skills. Toddlers show kindness as they provide their friends with tissues and help them to blow their nose. Older children praise their friends and show pride as they acknowledge their 'good teamwork' during activities.
• Staff tailor the curriculum to meet children's individual needs. They ensure children who prefer to learn outdoors can access the full curriculum here. Staff prepare environments to enable children to practise their newly learned skills and consolidate their learning. For example, older children thoroughly enjoy using the 'Gruffalo café' in the forest school area. They recall favourite parts of the story and use their imagination to make 'snacks' in the café. Other children make bugs, and staff challenge them to use mathematical language as they develop their small physical skills and strength to manipulate the clay.
• The arrangements to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are exemplary. All staff work closely in partnership with everyone involved with the child. For instance, they hold meetings for families with other professionals and discuss the most effective ways to spend extra funding. The provider shares the funding and provides other settings with the same resources to ensure children are supported effectively wherever they go.
• Staff actively promote children's positive well-being. They focus on helping children to be emotionally ready for the next stages in their learning, including their move to school. Staff invite school teachers into the nursery to visit children before they start school and provide information about their development to help them move on. Parents are invited back into the setting when children move on to the next room. This helps the new key person to gather information and maintain close relationships with children and their family.
• Children show high levels of independence and take an active part in their own self-care. They are aware of their own safety and know how to make healthy choices as staff talk to them at mealtimes about vegetables and where their food comes from. The nursery prides itself on providing healthy, freshly cooked meals, which use locally sourced ingredients.
• The staff team are well-qualified, knowledgeable and experienced. The leadership team encourages staff to constantly develop their skills and knowledge to work with children. Staff access training that supports them in their role and is specific to their key children. The majority of staff have worked in the nursery for a long time. They feel valued here, and their well-being is prioritised.
• The staff work exceptionally hard to build links with parents and other professionals. They regularly invite families in for special events and parent consultations. Parents are extremely pleased with the experiences they have at the nursery, including the informative parent sessions about school readiness. Other parents say the 'level of care from all staff who go above and beyond daily is outstanding' and 'We are so impressed with the extra-curricular activities, and there are lots of gorgeous engagement days for families.'